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The unfinished Basilica of San Petronio is the sixth largest church in Europe (it is the largest brick Gothic church). The Episcopal Church of Bologna is not San Petronio but the near Saint Peter's Cathedral. The construction started in 1390 under the supervision of the architect Antonio di Vincenzo. In 1514 there was a new project by Aruino degli Arriguzzi. The Basilica had to become bigger than St. Peter's in Rome, but Pope Pio IX requested to build "Archiginnasio" (the university library) 12 meters far from the church and its construction had to stop. The building was built for civic will, not ecclesiastical. It was an act of religious faith but above all political. It is a monument that represents municipal ideals of freedom and authonomy.
Localization: 44°29'36.5"N 11°20'35.2"E